What problems with empty house nex tdoor?

iguana

I am in the process of making bids on houses I like (very much a buyers market here) and am working out what to offer on each house I'm interested in. There are two I like but the problem is they are semis, attached to each other and both empty. They are in a nice mature area, too mature perhaps as both are empty following the death of the elderly owner. One was renovated somewhat with new insulation/windows/roof etc before being put on the market, the other was just put up as it is and needs more work.

I'd be happy in either if my offer was accepted, I love the location, plot size, they have great potential but would be fine to move into as they are. But each being attached to an empty house puts me off massively. There is the obvious issue of not knowing who your future neighbour might be but more so than that, I worry about the structural impact of being attached to an empty house. What issues could this lead to?

lukesmom

What do you mean by the structural impact of being attached to an empty house?

kkelliher

Dampness through the party wall and un detected leaking pipes are two common issues

iguana

In a damp country like Ireland it only takes a few years of being uninhabited for a property to become quite badly damaged. A property that is half empty, half occupied could suffer worse as in winter you have a warm half attached to a cold half, which can exacerbate damp problems. You also have problems if the empty property suffers damage which is getting progressively worse, like a leak/damage to a support wall while unattended which can cause problems for the neighbour.

I'm extremely wary of it but not sure if I'm being overly-cautious or not.

lukesmom

Oh right I never knew that

DoozerT6

Is the other house also up for sale? Chances are it won't be empty for long!

I agree that you don't know who will be moving in, but you run that risk whenever you buy a house - you could have lovely neighbours who sell up and move six months after you move in next to them, leaving you in the same boat.

I would assume that if a house next to you became vacant and nobody was looking after it, after a few months you could approach the Council about seeing who is in charge of it. Could they then approach the legal owner and insist that they look after it in such a way that it does not impact negatively on the house next to it in terms of rats, damp, etc. I'm just speculating here.

iguana

Both houses are for sale and both have been empty for quite some time. It's a buyers market with a large oversupply of houses, so one or both could be empty indefinitely.

...__...

I live beside a vacant house and some of my issues are. Vermin infestation through the attic. there was drainage issues from the owner filling drainage ditches, security ie; people breaking in to steal stuff and the risk of them setting fire to the house. Dampness but not so much a problem there house is bone dry mine isnt the house has been on the market for a few years so Im not worried if its bought but there is a decent sized site and I am worried about people trying to develop on it.

hfallada

iguana wrote: »

Both houses are for sale and both have been empty for quite some time. It's a buyers market with a large oversupply of houses, so one or both could be empty indefinitely.

Depending on the location. If the two houses were close to Dublin city, they would be sold and closed within a few months. But if they are in Cavan or Sligo they will be vacant for a while